


Bitter Rivals

by DiamondPony



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assisted Suicide, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Kinda, Maybe - Freeform, Mind Control, Possession, Self-Harm, i don't know how to tag this i'm sorry, i guess?, sorta - Freeform, ugh what am I doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 05:13:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7604923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondPony/pseuds/DiamondPony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If AI Handsome Jack had instead fully taken over Rhys' body rather than uploading himself into Helios.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bitter Rivals

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short drabble. All of the real Rhys' dialogue is in italics because this got real confusing real fast. Also the model of gun I'm thinking about is the Jakobs Law pistol. You'll see.

Rhys thinks he’d almost prefer being torn apart by a badass skag than the odd sensation of weightlessness he now felt. All Rhys could feel was a growing fear as he shouted and attempted to fight against Handsome Jack, in some way. He felt the restraints of Jack’s throne loosen around his wrists and watched his legs move at Jack’s command.

“There, there, kiddo. Don’t cry. You’re making me look like a wuss.” The voice Rhys heard was like his voice but it now had a harsh edge. It was Jack’s words spilling out of Rhys’ mouth, coated in the CEO’s arrogance, tinged with mild disgust. Rhys observed his sleeved arm come up to his face and wipe the wetness from his face. He tried to stop it, to see if he could regain control of his body but Jack fought back hard and Rhys gave defeated whine that only Jack could here.

“Ugh. I don’t get why you’re complaining kid. I’m only improving all of this,” Jack used Rhys’ hands to gesture at Rhys’ body. “Besides, you love me. This has to be like a dream come true for you.”

Rhys couldn’t help but sob at that, not just from Jack’s taunting but trying to process the complete lack of control over his own body. This triggered more tears to fall from his eyes. 

Well, at least he could do that Rhys thought bitterly. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain at the side of his face.

“I said quit it!” Jack growled, slapping his/Rhys’ face a second time to shut out Rhys’ sobs. “Ugh, you’re pathetic. And you made me hurt me. But it hurt you too, so I guess it’s a win-win.”

Rhys tried to quiet himself, searching for some way to ground himself. He reached out for his cybernetics, testing to see if he could move his arm. All Rhys managed to muster was a slight twitch in his pinky finger and he allowed himself to moan in despair.

“God, you’re noisy,” Jack said as he armed himself with guns from a chest in the corner of his office. “Normally I into that kind of thing but I can barely hear myself think.”

Jack collected a few more items around his office, making sure to grab Gortys’ beacon. He made his way to the elevator, relishing the way it felt to be a solid, physical body again.

“Mmm, Rhysie. Ready to go kill your friends?” Jack cackled as he entered the elevator.

_DON’T TOUCH THEM!_ Rhys screamed, pushing at the confines Jack had placed around him.

“Oooooh, I actually felt that one, kitten.” Jack laughed as he slammed his fist against the button for the elevator doors.

_No no no no, please. Please Jack._ Rhys once more felt the sensation of needing to cry but was unable to satisfy the feeling. Jack had everything now.  


___________________________________________________________

Fiona, Sasha, and Gortys ran down a hallway alongside the Hub of Heroism. Risking a few glances to the side, Fiona saw Hyperion soldiers asking employees for identification. Word had spread that intruders were on Helios, and it appeared anyone without their ID badge was being shot on site.

Fiona slowed her run almost to a halt as she spotted a figure emerging from the elevator in the plaza.

“Rhys!” Fiona gestured for Sasha to stop and they watched as Rhys stopped out into the middle of the plaza, seemingly unworried about the soldiers and bodies littering the ground.

“That idiot, what is he doing?!” Sasha muttered, pulling her sister to follow her towards the opening of the hall.

“RHYS! Over here!” Gortys cried cheerfully, Fiona and Sasha silently gesturing for Rhys to beckon him to safety.

The cybernetic man looked over at his friends, gave them a huge smile and ran over to where they were hiding.

“‘Sup guys?” 

“Oh you know, trying not to get caught,” Sasha mocked, “What the hell were you doing?! Do you have the beacon?”

“Yeah, doy, that’s what I was doing,” Rhys brandished the beacon at the two women.

“Yay! Thank you, Rhys!” Gortys chirped.

“You’re welcome!” Rhys said in an overly cheerful voice, then turned to fix Fiona and Sasha with a glare “At least someone appreciates me.”

“Ugh, whatever let’s just get out of here.” Sasha rolled her eyes and kept moving.

____________________________________________________________________________

They reached the docking bay without complication and ran across the tarmac to their van-now-rocket.

“Hey guys, can I drive?” Rhys asked, stopping just outside their ship.

_No no no, please stop Jack, don’t do this._ Rhys hadn’t truly decided if it was a blessing or a curse but he discovered he was privy to Jack’s thoughts and knew what was coming next. _Please Jack, I’m begging you. PLEASE._

“Uh, does that really matter right now? We need to leave.” spat Sasha as she started to get into the van.

“Yeah it does matter, your driving is terrible. I upchucked on the way here because of your sucky driving.”

“Oh my god, shut up both of you and get in the van! I’m driving.” Fiona interjected.

_God, please Jack, don’t._

“Ugh, fine.” Rhys said and with dramatic flourish, gestured for Sasha to get in first.

___________________________________________________________________________

The real Rhys had managed to calm himself a little and found that he could easily block out Jack similar to how Jack confined Rhys. He took the opportunity to formulate a plan.

They had barely left Helios when Rhys/Jack pulled out two pistols and pointed one each at Fiona and Sasha.

“Alright girls, I would say I hate to do this but I don’t. I freaking love it!”

Several things happened in that moment. In turning to face Rhys, Fiona was already poised to draw her own pistol and point it at Rhys/Jack. Sasha reached for her own gun and lunged to put herself closer to Fiona. The real Rhys had snapped back to attention at the sound of his own voice and upon seeing his friends staring down death, forced his arms down with all his might causing Jack to shoot at the floor of the van. Rhys had been so quiet that Jack nearly forgot he was there, which Rhys used to his advantage to drop both guns from his hands.

“WHAT THE HELL, RHYS?!” Fiona yelled, keeping her pistol trained on the cybernetic man before her.

“Hyperion scum” Sasha muttered “I knew you were just like the rest of them.”

Rhys managed to gain control of his vocal cords for a short moment while Jack was still reeling from the sudden loss of command.

“ _It’s….not me….Handsome Jack….is in….my head._ ” Rhys choked out. “ _Control….me._ ”

The girls watched in surprise as Rhys ran back and slammed his head into the wall of the van.

“You...idiot!” Jack exclaimed with Rhys’ mouth. He managed to gain agency over Rhys’ flesh arm again and used it to grab Rhys’ head by the hair and smash his head into the wall once more. His knees went out and he knelt on the ground, attempting to grasp at his head.

The pain caused the disembodied Rhys to let go of his body and recoil, his thoughts scattered by the sharp throbbing in his head. The warm sensation of thick stickiness sliding down his face caused the last of his focus to skitter away from his grasp.

“...Rhys?” Fiona probed carefully. 

“No, his voice was different that time.” Sasha said curtly, narrowing her eyes and keeping her gun trained on Rhys. Gortys had huddled behind Sasha at the gunfire, making small worried sounds.

“Do you think it’s really Handsome Jack in there?” Fiona whispered to her sister.

“The one and only,” Rhys/Jack said, voice suddenly steady and a predatory look crossing his face. He attempted to stand, still dizzy from hitting his head.

“Your dumb little friend Rhys doesn’t know greatness when he sees it, so I decided to take over and show him.”

Rhys had managed to gain some composure, enough to see the look of shock on his friends face. He couldn’t let Jack hurt his friends.

“And because I don’t like to share, I’m gonna kill you, take your little robot, and find that vault. Don’t take it personally, I woulda killed that buff nerd too. Unless you want to just give me the robot, it’s your call.” Jack had recovered his guns from earlier and raised them.

“Do we shoot him?” Fiona whispered “Its Rhys…”

_Come on, Rhys._

Doubt flickered briefly across Sasha’s face, not taking her eyes off of Rhys/Jack.

“I don’t know Fi, sounds like its mostly Handsome Jack….” Sasha cocked her gun.

_You can do this Rhys, you need to -- save your friends._

“Well if you’re going to play like that...” Rhys/Jack cocked the pistol pointed at Sasha.

Rhys focused all his energy in retaking his vocal cords.

“ _SHOOT ME! KILL HIM IT’S NOT WO-_ ”Rhys screamed as loud as he could before Jack cut him off with a grunt. Rhys gave all he had and tried to get Jack to let go of the guns once more, managing to get control of his organic arm and drop the pistol in that hand.

“Oh no you don’t Rhysie,” Rhys/Jack’s arm twitched as control went back and forth between the two. Jack used the blade on the remaining pistol to slice into the flesh arm. Rhys cried out in pain.

“That’s what you get you little shit! Now stay down!” Jack growled, returning the pistol to point at Sasha, while bending down to pick up the other gun.

Rhys’ body was twitching and shaking, the only visible cue that Rhys was still fighting to gain control.

Sasha looked to her sister, the hardened glare exchanged for a more somber expression.

“Fi, he said we should…”

“Sasha, look at him, he’s still in there!” Fiona looked at her sister, keeping the gun on Rhys/Jack.

“You girls better make up your minds, fast.” Rhys/Jack had both guns pointed at Fiona and Sasha again, shaking less than before. Despite the meanness of Jack permeating Rhys’ voice, tears were running down his face. Time seemed to stretch on as they all waited to see who would move first.

“C’mon kiddos. Five….” Jack began to count down, stiffening his bleeding arm.

 

“ _Shoot me,_ ” a small, wavering whisper escaped Rhys/Jack’s mouth.

 

“Four….”

 

“ _Please,_ ” 

 

“Sasha…” Fiona looked at her sister, reading the indecision that only she could see. Her arms wavered and her gun dipped with uncertainty.

 

“Three…”

 

“ _Do it,_ ”

 

Sasha grit her teeth and straightened her arm, tears welling in her eyes.  
.

“Twooooo….” Jack sang mockingly.

 

“ _It’s okay,_ ” Rhys whimpered, almost inaudibly.

 

A shot rang out, echoing against the walls of the cramped van. 

 

Rhys’ body hit the floor with a thud, the sound more jarring than the gunshot. Fiona tucked the smoking gun back into her sleeve.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Rhys but I also love hurting Rhys, I'm sorry. Also if you've noticed, all my (dumb) fics are based off songs so this one is "Bitter Rivals" by Sleigh Bells.
> 
> Why am I so mean to Rhys, my giraffe son? Tell me at [MotherfuckingMoran](motherfuckingmoran.tumblr.com)


End file.
